The Press Box.

U.s. Deals Sweden 1st Setback

May 09, 2000|By Jack Thompson.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Brian Gionta scored twice and the United States on Monday extended its surprising run at the World Hockey Championships by handing Sweden its first loss of the tournament, 5-3.

The Americans, who had already secured a berth in the quarterfinals, will end the second round atop the Group E standings with eight points, ahead of Sweden, Latvia and Belarus.

"Our goal was to qualify for the quarterfinals, and now we've done that," said American head coach Lou Vairo. "Now we have to win our game Thursday or we go home."

In other games Monday, the Czech Republic beat Slovakia 6-2; Finland clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with a 7-4 victory over Norway; and Switzerland defeated Latvia 4-1 to secure its place in the quarters.

Washington Capitals forward Jeff Halpern, with his first goal of the tournament, and Gionta gave the United States a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Mike Peluso and Steve Konowalchuk also scored for the U.S.

Galvanized by their 6-4 loss to Finland less than 24 hours before, the Czechs jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Slovakia and won easily.

The Edmonton Oilers' Janne Niinimaa scored the winning goal against Norway to clinch Finland's spot in the quarterfinals.